Oxygen defect-rich WO3-x nanostructures with high photocatalytic activity for dehydration of isopropyl alcohol to propylene

In present study, two group of WO3-x nanocrystals (NCs) have been prepared via a facile solvothermal process and their photocatalytic activities for dehydration of isopropyl alcohol (IPA) to propylene (C3H6) under visible light irradiation have been studied. The photocatalysts are characterized by XRD, FSEM, HRTEM, XPS and UV–vis spectroscopic study. As for WO3-x NCs synthesized under different temperature, the highest photocatalytic efficiency was achieved for the W18O49 NCs prepared at 160 °C at C3H6 evolution rate of 145 μmol h−1 g−1. When it comes to the WO3-x NCs obtained using different solvents, the sea urchin-like W18O49 microspheres synthesized in ethanol has the greatest activity for photocatalytic dehydration of IPA. Their outstanding photocatalytic performances may stem from the large amount of oxygen vacancies (OVs) on their surfaces. The above results suggest the high potential of WO3-x NCs in application for C3H6 production.